Puddle Dock

This weekend we went to Strawbery-Banke's Puddle Dock Skating Rink for the first time.  This was a big deal for a few reasons:

1. I don't skate.  And, when I do activities that might infringe on my running (i.e. I hurt myself) - I get angry nowadays.
2. I am a history person.  The creation of this Rink started much controversy because they just dug down to put the generators in, without taking care of the historic site that it sits on.  This is actually a post initofitself.  I could do a whole chapter of my book on this.  The reason why it was a super big deal, is that it is a historic site, a place that "preserves history" and they were ripping it up to make room for a "disney-like" thing.  I, a person who works for a history Museum, should shun this.  However, most people who know me know that I do also feel that if we don't give these history institutions room to be relevant and popular and bring in new audiences, they will not exist anymore.  A balance needs to happen. Anyway, that is the background on that.
3. Previous comments from friends about the place included: "packed in like sardines," and my favorite: "If your kids fall, tell them to curl their fingers under so that another person doesn't cut them off with the blades of their skates."  WHAT?

Despite those three things, we still went, and we had a great time.  We invited the Solsos, a skating family, to come with us.  This actually provided much comical relief for both them and us.  Joel Husband went around the rink once.  I went around three times, and only hugged the wall marginally.  Kim had her figure skates on and probably could have triple sow cowed around me, and Mat zoomed all over the rink.  Maddy, too - was speeding around and Joel Andrew, bless him, was trying very - very hard to keep up with her and falling everywhere.  Actually, Joel Andrew wins the Williams family award for sure, he stayed out almost the entire time, kept trying and did not want to be done.  James was cool after a few spins, then he wanted a snack.

The kicker was after most of the Williams quit, we found the snack bar - Fig Tree Kitchen, and grabbed a beer, a wine, and a donut and then sat and watched the Solso's expertly skate around with our Joelly falling behind them and trying to keep up.  

It was a great afternoon activity to do too just before the Pats game to get some energy out of all.  

Logistically, I would do it again.  You can rent skates here, and they have a warming room where you can feel comfortable leaving your stuff - though there are no lockers in this room.  The cost was about $50 with my family of four (rentals and all), and you can go on their Facebook page to see the current open times - check in advance because sometimes they do not have a free skate and they have scheduled shows and such.  

There are tables around to sit and have snacks, and Fig Tree Kitchen is the best - local, delicious, wine and beer and amazing hot chocolate too.  Try one of their quiches!  So, you could certainly make a day of it.  When we arrived it was not crowded at all, but within a 1/2 hour there was a line to buy tickets.  We arrived right at noon - my guess is it was the after lunch rush that was coming in, so get there early!

If I squinted real hard, while I was drinking my chardonnay, I could almost picture the European skating rink we saw in Vienna, which was in the center of town Park - had biergarden's all around it, and had various pathways to skate in and out of.  A great community place for gathering and having fun.  I think that was the whole idea behind why Strawbery-Banke added it.  That, and to make money.  I think they succeeded!

Eye Spy - the Best Museum Visit Ever

So, this whole blog is supposed to be about Museums and kids and kids at museums, but since my kids are growing older, and our days of adventures are now few and far between - between work and school and practices and sports (never thought I would say those things!) - the blog has become less and less about museums.  And, that is ok, it is life and first and foremost we should be enjoying the kids and the life we have now.  However, today was my birthday, and I took a day - not where I stashed James in daycare to get chores or work done - but a day where we drove to Boston and had a day together, and with my parents.

Where to go? Why not the MFA?  We walked around and we had a great time.  Grumpy showed him the swords, then while in the American galleries we "hunted" for all of the eagles.  We followed him through the many "maze" doors and found the mummys, and the coins room, where he made his own coin on the computer.  He was loving every minute of it.

We had a delicious lunch where he ate everything up, and then, upon his request, we played "I spy with my little eye" in the Museum.  We parked ourselves on the couches in the European Paintings room and played I spy for about a half an hour.  Everyone got a turn, and in the end James found them all.  And we all left feeling happy and excited about our time at the Museum, a win, win, win for all!  We even found a painting where the ladies were also playing I spy!

James enjoyed the big baby head sculptures a ton, and was a delight, even took a nap on the way home.  It was an epic day for kids at the Museum, all of us.  Now, I need to take James to europe!

Heritage Gardens

While visiting Ama and Grumpy, we took an outing to the Heritage Gardens, just in Sandwich, MA - right over the bridge.  I love going to Garden type museum places, and we had such a good time at the Fuller Gardens earlier this summer, I was psyched, and it did not disappoint.

If the Fuller Gardens is a quick trip for some great photos and quiet zen time, the Heritage Gardens is a long trip for your kids to run and romp and explore and get lost and have a picnic and look at all things from waterfalls, to artwork, to getting lost in mazes, to riding on a carousel... more and more and more.  There are what seems like miles of paved paths for strollers and running and fun, and all this before the parents even find the treehouse area!

There is an art gallery, and a gallery with historical artifacts, there is a cafe where you can get some food - and snacks, and of course, a beer (they also had some delicious looking cocktails, however you can not bring them outside of the tented area, which was a bummer.  I wish you could take them on the grounds to have a drink in a beautiful area -- but I guess this is what helps to keep the pristine nature of the place.).  Oh, and did I mention?  There is an auto museum, with all sorts of awesome cars and a fire engine, and even an old time car the kids can sit in.

The place rocked, it is a great place to take the kids of any age, and dress them nice so you can get some good posed shots.  You could be here for hours.  I hear there are even Christmas lights too.  When you are driving there though, it seems as if you are going to get lost in a private neighborhood.  No worries, it will be at the end of that road.

The Treehouse is the best part for the little kiddos.  James and I made our own spider webs.  The treehouse itself is epic to climb and lookout of - and then you learn it was built by a high school class and you are really taken away.  There is an outdoor stage, outdoor kitchen with water pump (guess where Joelly spent his time), outdoor reading space, building space (guess where Jamesy spent his time), a stage, more and more.  The best part was taking the handicapped accessible ramp walk down to the treehouse play area, and doing the quiz questions along the way.  The boys loved this.

Of course, we didn't find the treehouse until we were there for two hours already, whoops.  We could have spent the entire two hours just there.

A do-again for sure!

Fuller Gardens

I was a bit discombobulated from our weekend of tremendous amounts of fun, and so I didn't run my 9 miles I wanted to (I ran 6 instead) and I didn't take the boys to the beach like I thought I would.  But good decisions were made and fun was had regardless.

Somehow I convinced the boys we would go to a garden/museum for the afternoon.  They are in Karate camp which is a 1/2 day affair.  We get them at noon, and then what?  Well, today we met Daddy for lunch at a japanese restaurant.  James ate all my salad and most of my soup, tried and promptly spit out sushi.  They ate tempura, two types of dumplings and more.

Then we went to the supermarket, and they were great.  They helped me find things.  We had a debate for a few minutes on buns - to get potato or plain, or sesame.  They helped me carry bags to the parking lot.  And then I got them dressed, in the parking lot, into their "handsome clothes" - they did this willingly and without surprise, this is how much I have engrained this in them. And then they got excited to go to the gardens.

We got to the garden on a beautiful ride. It is so gorgeous around there that if we wanted to make a whole day I would have certainly left my car in that lot and walked to the beach for a picnic.  We arrived at just the right time for a tour bus to unload which was a mess.  The only attendance was totally engrossed in the tour bus and didn't seem to psyched about me having the kids there.  Oh well.  We put money in the donations jar and went in anyway.  We tried to get the the furthest corners of the place first so I could take some great photos without anyone strange in the background.

They loved it.  They had a great time getting lost in the gardens, and posing with the statues (lots of the bus people were super cuted-out by all of this).  And, of course the koi pond was a major hit.  Someone came out to feed the koi too and all of us were enthralled.

We all picked our favorite flowers, (I should say selected, we didn't pick and went over that rule).  They pointed out some of the flowers that we have, and at one point Joel actually sat down and meditated - as he is learning this in Karate right now.

I can only guess that this place changes constantly with the seasons, it looks like we may need to visit again and bring Ama and Grumpy too.  I wonder if they let you picnic (my guess is a resounding no there… but still.).  Logistics are that the parking is pretty easy, it is not cheap at all - $9 per adult, $4 per child and no age is free except for carried infants.  So, it is an expensive outing (in my opinion, my Museum is $6 per adults, and free 6 and under),  but is very pretty.  There is a very small gift shop, and the bathroom is a port a potty enclosed in a pergola.  But it was fine.

I think it would be best to bring walking littles here, giving them soft cushy green space and lots to look at to keep them busy, sad I missed that stage but at least I found it eventually!

Memphis

We enjoyed 5 days with an almost four year old in Memphis.  It was awesome.  I have always wanted to visit Memphis, not sure why.  They other good things about this trip - we went with friends and their almost three year old daughter.  It was great to catch up and see them and they love to eat more than we do - so we knew we were going to get some good meals in.  Finally, we have been so busy with so much going on that we hardly had time to plan.  So, we pulled together a few plans but for the most part winged it.  Sometimes winging it works out well and here it certainly did.

General awesomeness of the city

People are really nice here, like really nice.  And, they genuinely want your children to have a good time.  No matter where we went people were smiling and checking in with my son, and in a good way - not in a creepy way.  Families are welcome, encouraged to have fun - it seems as though the place was built for kids - with all of the delicious food options, the many museums and zoos - even the Music had our little's toe tapping the entire time.  I am proud that my guy went here, and now he will know who Elvis is his entire life. 

Tips

You must rent a car, be prepared for a walk to the rental car place too when you land in the city - but parents can split up - one with bags and the line and the other with kids looking at the awesome fountains in the airport while waiting for your car.  Everywhere in Memphis seems to be 15-20 minutes apart.  Cars are imperative if you want to see most of the sites, and parking is readily available at most of the sites as well (usually for free).  We found that sometimes you drive through areas which are not the nicest, so having purpose in your destination, and being prepared with a phone GPS is a must. 

Food

There is no shortage of good food in Memphis. Of course there is barbecue, there is also catfish, fried chicken, some amazing breakfast places - lots of sausage and biscuits and donuts, and lots of really good things to drink.  Taking the kids to the go-to restaurants here is easy, because all of the go to places are casual joints.  Order alacarte from sides in a BBQ joint no problem.  Screaming child in the burger place? Whatever.  Wiggly child, stop in for some amazing fresh baked donuts - no need to stay too long.  The whole family will eat well and feel like they are Tony Bourdain in Memphis.  Even the fancy places, like the Peabody Hotel, inherently caters to children- so it's 4pm and you are tossing back one of their signature Jack Daniels drinks while your child is 20 feet away running around their lobby fountain? No worries, raise your glass and toast to the parents next to you.  

General food for thought- Memphis restaurants generally did not have milk, chocolate milk or apple juice as options. Get used to drinking water, kids.  I'll have another beer. 

We ate at some of the best places to go to in the city:

Central BBQ - two locations in the city, we ate at one near Central Ave twice.  The chips here are a must do and they were one of the only places we visited the entire time that offered Mac and cheese, a must for our guy.  The ribs were to die for, be sure to know the sides you want when you order as it seems like everything came with two sides.  Paper towels at the table, they call your number when it is ready, only a few beers on tap.  Lots of locals, we knew we were in the right spot!

The Arcade Restaurant - the oldest operating restaurant in the city, in the heart of downtown and once frequented by Elvis also happens to be featured in many films.  Stop here and soak in the atmosphere - 50s diner, and not in a cheesy way either - and eat up some delicious breakfast.  The kids fruit salad was fresh and not slimy.  The parents gorged on southern comfort breakfast food which has made the world over of lists from the travel channel to food TV.  As I am a sucker, I went for the biscuits and gravy with grits, but next time I am going to see what those sweet potato pancakes are all about.  Happy about the chocolate milk here!

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken - when you need a break from red meat - how about take a bite out of the white? We made our way to this place, one of a few in the city, in a massive rain storm. We were welcomed with fried green tomatoes, fried pickles and we got the family style chicken dinner which would have fed and army, or us party of four plus two kids.  The service was awesome here and you could tell we were the only tourists in the place.  The locals agree, this is the place to go for the right fried chicken.  Be careful though, that spice on the chicken is intense, so you may want to grab something else for your little one - or ensure they keep cooling off with some bites of beans and cole slaw in between.

The Peabody - we visited the restaurant here for brunch.  It was an epic feast fit for any little king or queen, all the usual fixins and more and our waiter seemed to really like me as he continued to fill up my mimosa glass.  The bar in the Peabody lobby was a treat for our visit and see more info on the ducks in things to do below.  They had a huge menu of signature drinks that over the five days I managed to enjoy most - our favorites were the volunteer (their version of a sidecar) and the signature drink on the Jack Daniels menu which had peach and sour cherries.  Ask for nuts, and you will want to avoid the place between 10:15-11am or between 4-5pm if you are just going for a drink and do not care about ducks.  Don't worry though, at 11:01 or 5:01 it is all set!

Blues City Cafe- on Beale Street "with the prices to match," this place surprisingly had the best ribs! Surprising because we kept hearing to go elsewhere, but let us tell you that the dry rub ones here were tender and delicious. Also surprising on the menu, the tamales, a must try.  Get the big beer here and you will die laughing, 32 ounces. Right on the corner of Beale Street, so you will be starting your trip down Blues lane correctly. Lots of kids here so no worries at all on noise, we were sad to miss the skillet apple pie, but who has the room?

Rendezvous- supposedly the best dry rub ribs, we started with the lamb ribs which had us feeling great and frankly the 1/2 rack left us feeling dry.  But the brisket was a huge plus, as was the Greek salad on the menu - a nod to the owner's heritage.  Enjoy a pitcher of beer - golden ale from Ghost River is a crowd pleaser. To get there, go down the scary alley way, yep.  Then walk into a basement.  But bring some money for the juke box and have a good time.

Places to go

There is so much to see and do, even with getting to 2-3 destinations a day, we still missed a ton! We decided not to go to the Civil Rights Museum as those visiting might not appreciate our rambunctious kiddos - plus it would be way over their heads and hard for us to learn too. I hear the exhibit is amazing and powerful, so it is on the list for next time.  Sadly, we also do not know anything about the Sun City museum as they did not welcome our littles!  But many, many more places welcomed our little guys and were great to visit, check them out:

Memphis Zoo- As my husband said over and over again - probably the best Zoo we have ever been to.  I am not sure what the feed their animals, but all were active and excited to see us!  Giraffes a few feet away, Pandas sliding down slides, snakes with their heads straight up and actually slithering around.  The kids could not get enough, and neither could we.  It is always awesome to start out your adventure with your littles at the Zoo - because it is something they can relate to and it will make them feel comfortable in the whole traveling thing as well.  And, just for you nay-sayers out there - not all zoos are the same.  Maybe it is me, because I am a Museum person and all - but I love to visit the different places, compare them and learn from them.  This place was certainly an A+, and side tip, on the border of a great park, which we did not have time to see because we were off to the Crawfish Festival!

Pink Palace Museum - Quirky "Cabinet of Curiosities" - learn a ton about the history of Memphis by just what is in this collection.  There is an IMAX here and all that other stuff too - but we just had fun looking at all of the collections - from skeletons, to shrunken heads and an awesome handmade replica of a circus - dr.'s implements, paintings and stuffed animals (the real kid) - lots to see and explore.  Be careful of the dinosaur, it roars!

Mud Island - Quite possible the most awesome exhibit I have ever seen is right here on Mud Island.  Take the tram over, and walk back (or vice versa) so you can get both experiences on the way to this unique place in Memphis.  The island was brilliantly designed to attract tourists and entertain locals.  There is an outdoor amphitheater which made me want to come back for a concert, walking trails and an awesome Museum that teaches you all about the Mississippi.  Enjoy the views of Arkansas and Mississippi while standing on Tennessee soil, and then walk the entire length of the Mississippi River, in exhibit form.  This INCREDIBLE exhibit is a replica, down to the depth and including the bends, currents, and cities of the entire length of the Mississippi.  Luckily, James had his duck from The Peabody and so we put him in at the top and walked the whole length of the River down to New Orleans.  Quite an awesome experience.  We just wish they had a place that served a beer - maybe on the weekends?

Stax Museum - I love music museums, and this one was pretty neat.  The intro video is a must and a great way to get you oriented to the different stax sound and understanding of how important Stax was to the music industry, and to Memphis.  Although not as interactive as the Country Music Museum in Nashville, it was a nice exhibit complete with awesome 1970's car.  James got a little antsy but genuinely enjoyed listening to the Music.  We had a larger understanding of this music and era, bought some CDs and enjoyed them in our van the remainder of the trip (and at home too!).

Graceland - Who goes to Memphis and not to Graceland?  Not us!  I was thinking of skipping it, but I am glad I went.  This place is still privately owned people, by Lisa Marie - and who knows how long it will last.  Not to be a nay-sayer, but in an age where museum attendance is declining, and it is expensive to keep them running - I am not sure who her crowd will be when those who truly remember Elvis get too old to walk through the doors. So, go if you can because it is truly awesome.  I hardly know much about Elvis myself, and I continue to be in the dark - because when you get to Graceland they outfit you with an iPad and headphones and send you off on a guided tour with John Stamos as your leader.  Awesome?  Yes!  If you can actually listen to it.  In order to occupy him I let my 4 year old get the set, which means I guess he now knows everything.  They wouldn't give me another, so I let him be fascinated with the words of John Stamos while I was fascinated with Elvis's home.  It is a PERFECT time capsule.  The house is much smaller than you would think, and it smells and looks like your grandparents home.  Trust me.  It is eerie.  Walking down to the basement I had flashbacks of Hicksville, NY.  Scary!  It can get boring for the kiddos - but it is a neat thing to show them how people lived.  Then, take them to the Car Museum and the planes on the property too.  A plane with a big bed in it blew James' mind. Then he was hungry again for lunch.

Beale Street - A visit to Memphis is not complete without a walk down Beale Street.  It is a quick walk, and your senses will be assaulted!  Don't walk down the middle of the street - this is reserved for the acrobats that flip their way down the entire length over and over again for your tips.  This had the kids fascinated.  There are ample places to listen to music, and to get a fish bowl or enormous drink.  During the day, there are even some great shops.  Obviously, the later the less friendly the crowds and music are for the kiddos, but it was 9pm and we weren't the only ones with littles there.  We could have started our own tip jar with our kids bouncing to the music in the streets.  We didn't bring them into the bars though - the dads had a night to do that on their own. Next time, when they are older!

The Peabody Ducks - A must for littles, and littles at heart.  You should get to the Peabody Hotel at 10:15 am (in time to get a good seat for the 11am ceremony arrival of the ducks) or 4:15pm (in time for the 5:00pm departure) to see the Ducks.  The Ducks are huge, and this is the fanciest hotel in the middle of the city.  For nearly 100 years ducks have been swimming in the hotel's gorgeous center lobby, and now to attract tourists and people to buy $16 martinis, the Ducks are ceremoniously led to their fountain at 11am each day, and back in the elevator up to their homes at 5pm at night.  Come early to secure your seat in the lobby - they will not let you stand around for this show.  The Duckmaster will tell you the entire history behind this strange and awesome ritual and you will get to see the little guys waddle their way in and out of the fountain.  The drinks are great (see above) and the historic hotel is something not to miss.  They also have some good non-alcoholic awesome drinks for those who want to avoid the whisky.  While in the hotel, shop at Lansky (Elvis' favorite) and get yourself some duck things in their gift shop too.  Make your way up to the terrace at the top of the building and you can see awesome views of Memphis, and where the ducks live at night.  

Hopefully you will get to visit Memphis sometime soon, and see it through the eyes of a little too.  It is a great and friendly city, and I hope some day I will get back there!

Sculpture Garden and Museum Mini Golf

I meant to post about this as part of our trip to Minneapolis, but did not…  So, in a few brief sentences I will say - that if you go to Minneapolis and have kids of any age, you should make it over to the Walker Art Center.  The sculpture garden is free and beautiful and a great place to take some awesome photos of the little ones, and then afterwards stop by the artist-designed mini-golf.  We had an excellent outing, two entertained and happy outdoors little ones, and four happy adults, for less than $50.

Plimoth Plantation

There is no limit to whining when you are Joel Andrew and you are visiting Plimoth Plantation.  But I guess I deserved that since I recall whining when my parents took me places when I was young.  The only bummer here - my parents were along for this trip as well.  Oh well, I guess they are accustomed to it.  (If you want to know the down and dirty, go to If you go at the bottom of this post).

There are a few things I will take away from me from this trip:

• The boys kept calling the Wampanoag men, women and children - Indians.  In front of them.  (there are a bunch of native americans who are actually in a Wampanoag Village who are here to help people understand more about this life, it is really cool and interesting).  But, each time my eldest and usually nicest son approached one he would yell, "Look, there is an Indian!"  Not sure how well that was greeted with the actual Native American people.  Didn't seem so out of place with the role players…  The kicker is I made extra sure not to say Indian, and slipped once - calling the place an Indian Village.  They heard that one slip, and it was all over.  
• I share with you - the inside of the colonists houses are perfect for taking awesome photos.  You should go, around Thanksgiving, and dress your kids for the holidays and take shots here it is so awesome.  Now if only the boys could stay still…  
• They may have been too young to really get it, but it was good to keep introducing them to these things.  To see their minds get blown when I explained this Museum chronicles a time that is 150 years earlier than Mommy's Museum (which they consider to be super old) was amazing.  They are not fully getting it, but it is helping them on the path to appreciate these visits and so one day when we go later they will be more comfortable to ask the role players questions, to absorb the history a bit more.  At least, I hope?  I'm a Museum professional, I have to think this way…
• Joel Andrew is a bear when he is hungry.  He can be super mean and he will bribe you.  Overheard at our lunch table while waiting for food yesterday: "I promise I will not stop whining until you give me that thing…"  What?!?!??!  Good luck Kindergarten teacher!

If you go:

• Make sure you have good shoes (not sandals, lots of walking in the dirt here, which I should have known).  
• Make sure your child is ready to walk, a long way.  And, if not - bring a stroller.  I saw many a person with a stroller here - mostly there are no stairs.  However, the path ways are uneven at times.  Babies in carriers are ideal so you can go in and out of huts and houses too.
• You can get your ticket ahead of time online.  You can see the Wamponaug Village, the Colonists Village, the Craft demonstration and an exhibit at the actual Plantation.  You will see the Mayflower II elsewhere, and will need a separate ticket for that one - so don't go thinking you will see the boat.  It won't happen - though the boat is only 20 minutes away and in downtown Plymouth with good restaurants.
• Children under 5 are free - you may want to time a visit with your fam to take advantage of this.
• The restaurant is more of a cafeteria style - but it is actually not too bad.  The five of us ate for $30 or so - and the boys had mac and cheese which they loved and I had a succotash which made me feel Colonial.  We had to wait for the food though - and there are many, many beautiful places to picnic here so if I had more time I might have packed a lunch.
• Prep your kids ahead of time about interacting with the costumed people - or else they are just wandering in a old timey set - like Disney or something.  Older kids would benefit from an explanation between the difference of the actual Wamponaug Native Americans - who are here to teach you in the present tense about their culture and history - and the roleplaying Colonists.  
• See above about bringing a camera.
• There is a 14 minute video at the start, which my kids sat through no problem and gives a good introduction for the adults.  I would suggest checking it out, but moving all the way to the end of the row so that in the event of meltdown you can just go out the exit which is on the opposite side of the theater. 
• I can't stress enough how important it is to get your kids to interact - both from a Museum professional standpoint and from a Mom who has shy kids.  Since mine were too shy - I asked questions for them and at least they heard the responses.  They were able to hear the accents and the "funny language" of the role players and start to get a feel for it all.  If you do not know what to ask - even the most basic question is the best - How many people would live in this room?  Where is the bathroom?  What is your favorite dinner?  What do you do for work?  How do you talk with your family back home and will you see them again?

Mayflower II

We are now visiting Ama and Grumpy for the week - it is nice to spend some summer days out here and currently we are battling about what to do tomorrow - do we do a day trip to the Vineyard, to Nantucket, to Provincetown?  Today everyone is on their way to the Cape while Mommy tends to the one work thing she needs to do this week...  bummer...  But, before work usurped my time, I got to go see "the" rock, and go on the Mayflower II with the boys. 

Plymouth Rock is smaller than everyone tells you - and there is a nice park ranger there to help you understand the history about it, but it is close to a main road and a marina area and if you have two very active boys ages 3 and 5 you cannot hear a word the park ranger is saying. I think my parents and husband might have learned.  To get here, you just go to downtown waterfront Plymouth, and park.  Walk to the boats, and you will see a large pavilion with the rock in it.  No need to pay, and no need to stand there more than five minutes, but I guess everyone should see it just once.

Just a few hundred feet away is the Mayflower II.  This is operated by the Plimoth Plantation people, it is one of their remote sites - and you can get package tickets to go to the other sites or just go to this one, whatever your choice.  It took us about 20 minutes, but that is mostly because James really thought it was a pirate ship and Joel Andrew was too shy to really chat with the roleplayers who were on board and neither were excited to read the panels leading up to the boat either - they wanted to get on, see the stuff and move along.  Which was fine with me. 

Strollers are certainly a no-go here and I am guessing in 5 years might be the more ideal time to get them really understanding and learning from their visit.  Though, I was impressed that Joel Andrew pointed out to James that it was not a pirate ship but a boat that the pilgrims came on.  Joel did ask the roleplayer what they ate on the boat, and he pulled out a biscuit which totally surprised them.  Mommy was surprised to hear these roleplayers are paid for their work - I admitted to the ticket taker that my museum has all volunteer roleplayers, to which he replied: "oh no, no, no, they are not accurate."  Yeah, buddy - we do what we can.

So, all in all a great visit but if you are careful with you dollars, and your kids are between 5-8 (that magical age where you still need to pay to get them in and they might not really truly be absorbing everything yet) - you may just do better to walk around outside, see the boat from the pier and visit the rock.  We are hoping for a visit back in a few years where we can really learn, interact and spend more than 15 minutes.

Now Mommy is off to do some work in Cohasset - and then what?  - And tomorrow - what will we all do to explore the south shore together?  Hmmm.

McAuliffe-Shephard Center

Our first Wednesday of summer (post-Festival, that is) was rainy and thunderstormy and horrible.  Well, at least in the morning.  Quite a bummer for us - as I really want to get to the beach with the boys - but we ventured out on one of my "must get to before Joel Andrew goes to kindergarten" things. - The Science/Space Center in Concord, the McAuliffe-Shephard Center.

It was neat, but I think the rain really impacted all of us as we were a bit tired and difficult to motivate.  We saw a Planetarium movie, we ate astronaut ice cream and we posed with a shuttle.  That's about it.  Because of the storms, their interactive things like the space shuttle and the heat sensors were not working properly.  Many of the other exhibits were for older kids and adults.  The place seemed a big empty to me.  Even the gift shop - which I was looking forward to visiting and buying all sorts of space related t-shirts and books, hardly had a thing in it.  I wonder if this place is a bit of a victim of the Museum expansion - they went big when there was money, and now what do they do with all the space?   I maybe too critical, seeing as it is me…  But I guess coming from space camp and all the other center's I went to I was expecting more.  The boys still had a good time though in the Planetarium movie- which reinforced all Joel Andrew learned about planets in Daycare this past June.

We ate Mexican food before jumping on the highway home.  It occurs to me just how much neither of my boys can sit still when we bring them to a restaurant.  They are always bouncing all over the seats.  I guess that is just par for the course.  Once home, we watched How to Train Your Dragon together, which was welcome rest time.  They started getting rowdy -  but I was way too into the movie and tried to quiet them down!  Bubble time outside, and then before you knew it Daddy was home from work.  A good first day of summer with them but I am looking forward to even a few more! We have 4 more weeks of this - and then a week at Ama and Grumpy's and then…  Kindergarten for Joel Andrew. I can't handle it!